Tuesday, February 5, 2013

I've come to look forward to the annual Bead Soup Blog Parties like the holiday that it deserves to be. I plan weeks in advance what beads I want to send, change my mind and plan again. Then I start pulling the beads from my stash. I usually start with something that I've made, be it one of my polymer pendants, or a set of beads or both. Then I start to pull other ingredients for the soup that my partner will make with the selection.

I've recently decided to focus more on designing of finished pieces than making polymer components. I so enjoy the design process, even if I do things a little differently. Most designers that I know start by sketching out their designs on paper. I hold the beads in my hand and sketch in my head. After I get a design made in my mind, I lay it out on my bead board or mat and go from there. I love that beads and wire and other bits and bobs come together to make something beautiful.

This round of bead soup is the 7th party. It will be the 5th time that I've participated. I can't wait to see who, out of the 500 or so designers I get paired with and what they do paired with DoBeDoBeadDo. Stay tuned to this spot for work in progress and then come back on April 13th for the final reveal. Thank you to my readers for sticking with me and for all of your wonderful support!

Saturday, February 2, 2013

I was very excited when I was contacted by Bill Zhang from Znetshows to participate in Znetshows' design team for the upcoming Tuscon bead shows. Thrilled is more like it. Bill selected 25 designers from Lori Anderson's Bead Soup Blog Projects to be on the team. He sent each of us a very generous box of their new sea glass components (and other things like crystals and brass components) and asked that we create as many projects as we wanted, photograph them and send them back to him in a little over a week. I received beautiful deep red and orange glass. I made the three pieces that you see here. The necklace to the left with the red sea glass pendant, is my favorite. I used my polymer clay beads in the design and wire wrapped crystals and the brass that Znet sent into the piece. It looks lovely on the neck. The other two pieces are more playful and beachy. I really love how they came out, but unfortunately they weren't chosen to be shown in Tuscon. I really need to figure out a way to take better pictures, because I'm sure if the selection committee saw the pieces in person, they might have made the grade. The experience was a good one, though and got my pliers all warmed up for the upcoming Bead Soup Blog Party, No. 7. It will be my 5th party! I've already put together my soup and am just waiting to see where the package will go. Thank you so much to Lori Anderson and to Bill Zhang for having asked me to participate.